Does Your Dog Suffer from Storm Anxiety?

If you’re reading this then chances are they do. Having to watch your furbaby shake uncontrollably, pant and drool and not be able to do anything about it is a horrible feeling wouldn’t you agree?

Over the years we have had many dogs in our home, some were our babies and others were foster pups. It seemed like we always had one or two that were terrified of storms. Nothing we ever tried would help.

Did you know that storm anxiety (Thunder Phobia) starts to develop when a dog is between two and four years old? I found that a bit odd, don’t you?

I mean why does it start then?

Animal behaviorists and Veterinarians don’t really know, nor do they know what part of the storm causes all the problems.

We do know that dogs can feel the change in pressure and because their hearing is much better than ours it may be the low frequency they hear that we can’t. It could also be the flashes from lightening that creates all the problems.

But it really doesn’t matter what the cause is we just don’t want our furry family members to suffer, right?

Storm Anxiety Symptoms in Dogs

Storm anxiety which is sometimes called thunderstorm phobia shows up with a variety symptoms. Below is a list of the most frequently seen symptoms.

  • Hiding in a confined space
  • Clinging to humans nearby
  • Drooling
  • Incontinence
  • Rapid Heartbeat
  • Dilated pupils
  • Panting and hyperventilating
  • Trembling and shaking
  • Barking, howling and whining
  • Restlessness and pacing
  • Destructive behavior
  • Seeking an escape

Will your dog have all of these anxiety symptoms? Probably not. Many times only two or three of these may be present.

Even if your dog just trembles and shakes its heart breaking wouldn’t you agree?

Is There a Cure for Storm Anxiety?

I don’t like to use absolutes when it comes to health issues with our dogs, but I can say I’ve never seen a dog cured of this type illness.

But that doesn’t mean the news is all bad either.

Being in dog rescue for 16 years I’ve seen many types of dogs that behave differently around thunderstorms.

We’ve also consulted with many veterinarians over the years to try and find the best solutions for the dogs in our care. The suggestions we’ve gotten over the years are as varied as the dogs we’ve had and we’ve tried them all.

Some veterinarians will start with a pretty aggressive approach with different types of medications like Amitriptyline, Benadryl, Diazepam, or Alprazolam. But if you’re like us the last thing you want to do is over medicate your dog.

So there has to be a different solution wouldn’t you agree?

We’ve also tried thunder shirts and thunder sweaters. Basically, these sweaters fit snugly around the dog and are supposed to provide him some comfort during storms. For us, we have not had a whole lot of success with them.

Finally a Solution That Worked

A couple years ago we spoke with a veterinarian who suggested a more holistic natural approach to helping are dogs with storm anxiety. She suggested that we check out CBD oil. At the time there was not a lot of information out on hemp or CBD Oil and we were concerned because of the connection to marijuana.

The last thing I wanted was a dog that was going to be high on pot.

After researching a bit and speaking with other veterinarians it became clear that this was a possible solution to our problem. What I found out was that CBD oil does not contain THC which is what causes of the high or euphoria found in marijuana.

That was great news for us, a holistic natural product that could help our dogs with their thunderstorm phobia.

That’s exactly what we were looking for, I’m sure you’ll agree a natural approach is what’s best for our fur babies, right?

Can CBD Oil Actually Calm Your Dog?

CBD oil (Cannabidiol) is a natural substance found in the hemp plant. There is a fair amount of confusion about CBD oil. Although both CBD and marijuana come from the hemp plant they are very different.

The biggest difference CBD does not contain THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the compound in marijuana that causes the high.

CBD interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system helping to calm your dog’s anxiety naturally

The endocannabinoid system is complicated biological system recently been discovered and is not fully understood yet.

But what is known is the body has many cannabinoid receptors in the brain, central nervous system (CNS) and organs.

Without trying to get to complicated, these receptors are part of the endocannabinoid system and when endocannabinoid chemicals connect with the receptors the body produces serotonin.

Serotonin is what helps calm your dog during storms. CBD oil increases the body’s ability to produce Serotonin.

Not All CBD Oil is Equal

We had so much success with the CBD Dog Treats and Tinctures that we set out to find the best CBD Oil available.

Here are the questions we asked to the different CBD Oil suppliers because I’m sure you’ll agree finding the highest quality CBD oil for you furbaby is important, wouldn’t you?

  • Is it organic – Couple things you need to consider. Does the oil come for organically-grown hemp? Do they use pharmaceutical grade ethanol during processing? Processing the Hemp this way safely removes all the toxins.Because there the processing is not regulated some companies are taking the cheap route trying to save a few dollars using petroleum based products like hexane & butane.This can be toxic and not safe for consumption.
  • Independently tested – Seems like common sense, right?
  • Check the THC Count – The THC count should be less than .03%, anything higher than that can be toxic to your dog.

With that criteria our search led us to the top producer in the country, the problem was they don’t sell treats to pet owners only to big pet stores with high overhead.

Because we are a small mom and pop company with almost no overhead they asked us if we were interested in being their marketing partner. This seemed like a great way to get the Best CBD calming treats at an affordable price.